Bike Talk - A radio show dedicated to the idea that for public and planetary health we need to prioritize public transportation by bikes

Nick and Taylor ride Joe Borfo’s Tandem in Griffith Park

Latest Episode

Vision Zero and the Bicycle Future

April 27, 2023

2:33 on.soundcloud.com/gjUub
Violence Reaction: A steep spike in Oakland, California car killings after the pandemic and the loss of the city’s pandemic-era slow streets spurred the formation of The Traffic Violence Rapid Response Team. Seamus Garrity interviews George Spies and Carter Lavin, volunteers with the Team.

21:59 on.soundcloud.com/nW5By
Lives Above All Else: Columbus, Ohio is on board for safer streets. Taylor Nichols interviews Maria Cantrell, Vision Zero Coordinator for Columbus, Ohio, Emma Kogge, Transportation Planner for the City, and Angie Shmitt, a transportation writer and planner based in Cleveland.

39:10 on.soundcloud.com/EjebM
No Place Like Home: We look to places like the Netherlands for examples of safe biking infrastructure, but Inlander editor Nick Deshais has written an article that places Spokane, Washington among the great biking cities of the world. www.inlander.com/culture/the-futu…spokane-24647156
By Taylor Nichols.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

columbus, oakland, trafficviolence, visionzero
Bike Infrastructure and Carfreedom

April 18, 2023

1:00 on.soundcloud.com/aUw3u
This is Big: The Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT), when finished, will be the longest rail trail in New England at 104 miles from Boston to Northampton, 2/3 of the way across the state. Craig Della Penna, Executive Director with Norwottuck Network, a non-profit corporation that supports the build-out and operation of the Mass Central Rail Trail, here gives Bike Talk a preview of the Norwottuck Network report about what a completed MCRT will mean to the Commonwealth. www.nnnetwork.net/

11:28 on.soundcloud.com/FV3Ao
Nope: Safe street advocates shouldn’t support the unsafe Valencia Street center-running bike lane recently approved by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, according to Valencia Street activist Stacey Randecker.

28:09 on.soundcloud.com/sMrcS
A Post Car Future: Cars and capitalism discussed by Matthew Rozsa, author of articles about car dependency and inequality at Salon.com, with John Renne, a Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida Atlantic University, co-author of the study “Socioeconomics of Urban Travel in the U.S.” www.salon.com/2023/03/19/as-weal…r-afford-to-drive/ www.salon.com/2023/04/09/is-a-po…e-could-get-there/

46:20 on.soundcloud.com/HffFU
Car Free Forever: In 2020, the City of Toronto took the bold step of closing High Park to vehicles on weekends. Now, there’s a movement to make High Park permanently car free. Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher interviews Faraz Gholizadeh, co-founder of Safe Parkside.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

MCRT, Renne, Rozsa, valencia
Changes

April 11, 2023

2:24 on.soundcloud.com/ocg3p
Wild at Heart: A girl tames a big-kid bike in “Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike,” by bestselling children’s book author and journalist Dashka Slater. Dashka reads the story.

19:44 on.soundcloud.com/7e3vN
No Time For Losers: Pittsfield’s City Council strikes down a referendum to bring the design of its downtown pilot protected lane to voters on the November ballot. With Ricardo Morales, Pittsfield, Massachusetts’ Commissioner of Public Utilities.

38:15 on.soundcloud.com/6Bkjy
Centering Safety: A new protected bike lane will run down the center of one of San Francisco’s most dangerous and important streets, Valencia. San Francisco bike advocate-activists Robin Pam, Aditya Bhumbla, and Zach Lipton chat with Seamus Garrity.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

completestreets, protectedbikelane, sanfrancisco, valencia
Summit

April 4, 2023

1:19.70 on.soundcloud.com/o9tF3
Alleycats: The 23rd National Bike Summit, which wrapped up at the end of March, had an “adjacent” Alleycat ride: the Intro to Alleycat ride, or Alleycat for Dummies. Galen Mook, MassBike Executive Director, interviews Joel Gwadz, organizer of the ride, along with John Yeast of New Belgium Brewery, one of the ride’s sponsors.

16:01 on.soundcloud.com/VdXYe
Check it: at an Alleycat checkpoint in Washington, DC’s famous Blagden Alley, in front of the “Love” mural, volunteers Nick, Marina, and Lisa give away sponsored Dr. Bronner’s magic chocolate bars to riders who must take selfies. Volunteer Lisa Brady’s day job happens to involve Safe Routes to Schools, as well as being Board President of the Treasure Valley cycling Alliance in Boise, Idaho.

22:41 on.soundcloud.com/rUJCD
Growing fast: An Alleycat rider’s perspective on the ride resonates with history. Keshia Roberson, founder of Major Knox Adventures and presenter of They Were Seeds: The Buried Legacy of Black Wheelwomen at the National Bike Summit, interviews with Galen Mook.

26:47 on.soundcloud.com/ufUoV
Tour de Bike Lanes: commuters and tourists in a DC lane are treated as Tour de France racers by Cate Cohen, in honor of her husband, DC rider David Confer, who died of liver cancer.

29:26 on.soundcloud.com/8bNMG
After ‘cat: Galen Mook sums up the Alleycat and interviews Josh from Grand Rapids at the Alleycat afterparty.

33:16 on.soundcloud.com/9Ny9Q
Bike Troupe: The Agile Rascal Touring Theater’s performers and, sometimes, their audiences, incorporate bikes and riding in their shows. Dara Silverman, Artistic Director, unpacks at the Summit closing reception.

36:32 on.soundcloud.com/DYyg4
Representing: At the Summit’s closing reception Earl Blumenauer, Congressional Representative of Portland, Oregon and founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus, focused on this moment in bike advocacy.

39:29 on.soundcloud.com/ydjpk
Joining the Club: Northampton, Massachusetts bike champions Adele Paquin and Ruthy Woodring reflect on their new afterschool bike club at JFK Middle School as the semester comes to an end.

43:41 on.soundcloud.com/Wx9Dx
Book in Soweto: Bicycle Entrepreneur Mpumi Mtintso organizes Tour de Libraries and historical bike tours in the township of Soweto, South Africa.

alleycat, dc, Gwadzilla, nationalbikesummit
Advocacies

March 31, 2023

1:29 on.soundcloud.com/uxcQ3
Our Streets: A coalition of equity-focused active transportation and mobility justice organizations has formed in Los Angeles to change the way the city designs its streets. Eli Kaufman, Executive Director of BikeLA, Andres Ramirez, Executive Director of People for Mobility Justice, and John Yi, Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks, join Bike Talk cohost Seamus Garrity to talk about their new coalition, Our Streets Action Committee. bit.ly/3Ko1sJT

40:40 on.soundcloud.com/W6hRG
Comparative Advocacy: San Diego County and Massachusetts’ face different challenges for bike advocacy. Galen Mook, Executive Director of MassBike, and Will Rhatigan, Advocacy Director of the San Diego Bicycle Coalition, compare and contrast.

55:38 on.soundcloud.com/KUxuU
Bike Joy: Taylor Nichols asks two women about their Bromptons.

bikela, Losangeleswalks, OSAC, peopleformobilityjustice
Bike Authors and the Bike Brigade

March 21, 2023

2:00 on.soundcloud.com/LMwkX
Bike Lit: UK Professor Dr. Marlon Moncrieffe on the Black experience in cycling and his book, “Desire, Descrimination, Determination: Black Champions in Cycling,” with Nick Richert

30:15 on.soundcloud.com/6oZSt
Riding in Their Footsteps: David Goodrich on his book, “On Freedom Road,” about his bike tour along the route of the Underground Railroad, his blog, www.crazyguyonabike.com/, and his climate science, with Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition Executive Director and Bike Talk cohost Galen Mook.

45:45 on.soundcloud.com/vK2nG
To the rescue: the Bike Brigade brings food and medical supplies to people in need in Toronto. Jonathan Gruber-Benaich, Campaign Lead, talks with Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

davidgoodrich, desiredeterminationdescrimination, Drmoncrieffe, majortaylor
34th Ave Housing and Transportation in Sf National Bike Summit

March 16, 2023

Transcript: bit.ly/3Zc52em

1:03 https://on.soundcloud.com/92anJGold Standard: Queens’ 34th Avenue open street is the open street other open streets try to emulate. Jim Burke, a 34th Ave Volunteer Leader, talks to Nick Richert.10:44 https://on.soundcloud.com/oiwXeIntersection: Open streets and housing in San Francisco with Robin Pam, Parent Organizer and Founder at Kid Safe SF, and Annie Fryman, Director of Special Projects with the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, by Seamus Garrity.48:52 https://on.soundcloud.com/U55pwSummit: Bike advocates and planners will converge on Washington, D.C. for the League of American Bicyclists’ 23rd annual National Bike Summit March 26-29. Seamus Garrity interviews Caron Whitaker, Deputy Executive Director of the League.Editing by Kevin Burton.Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

34thavenue, jacksonheights, jimburke, queens
Slow Streets Please

March 7, 2023

Transcript: bit.ly/3n6xEIF

1:02 on.soundcloud.com/kzP8k
Advocates’ roundabout: A forum of people fighting for protected bike lanes, with Karen Parolek of Walk Bike Berkeley for Hopkins, Lucy Maloney in Vancouver for Stanley Drive, and Ricardo Morales in Pittsfield for North Street. Also, Luke Bornheimer, San Francisco Advocate, for the website www.slowstreets.us/.

Unedited roundtable: https://soundcloud.com/biketalk/bike-talk-slow-streets-round-table-full?si=2973f883a3f6413ab37991c0a16ed3a5&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

35:17https://on.soundcloud.com/QfjtY
Interlude with Taylor, Nick, Seamus, Lindsay

38:08 on.soundcloud.com/kzP8k
Better with bikes: BikeLA’s 2023 Bicycle Safety Report finds, among other things, that everyone’s safer on a street with protected bike lanes. With BikeLA’s Executive Director Eli Akira Kaufman and Bike Talk cohost Taylor Nichols.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

karenparolek, music, Pittsfield, ricardomorales, SoundCloud, walkbikeberkeley
State of Emergence

February 28, 2023

Transcript: bit.ly/40mUafj

Intro: Seamus and Don at the San Fernando Valley CicLAvia

0:52 on.soundcloud.com/vXEK4
Counsel: Los Angeles’ City Council District 4 Councilmember Nithya Raman at CicLAvia on biking, the need to get people out of cars, and what can get the LA City Council to implement the City’s mobility plan. With Seamus Garrity.

13:14 on.soundcloud.com/CFyTx
Beautiful day: Metrics of success at CicLAvia in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, with Tafarai Bayne, CicLAvia’s Chief Strategist. By Seamus Garrity.

14:20 on.soundcloud.com/4Gq7J
Origin story: How a volcano may have inspired the invention of the bicycle, with Lindsay Sturman and Seamus Garrity.

17:45 on.soundcloud.com/86ap6
Culture: Although France is thought of, rightly, as surpassing countries like the U.S. in bike and safe streets infrastructure, rural roads can be unsafe for cyclists. Recovering engineer Charles Marohn and Beate Kubitz, a new resident of Feuilla, France, discuss the need to create cycling culture in rural areas.

35:49 on.soundcloud.com/crKgo
911: A state of emergency has been declared in Carlsbad, California because of rising cyclist deaths. Taylor Nichols discusses the issue with Del Mar Times reporter Luke Harold and San Diego Bicycle Coalition Advocacy Director Will Rhatigan. www.delmartimes.net/news/story/2022…cycle-accidents

48:50 on.soundcloud.com/4rPGA
Visualize it: The U.S. Department of Transportation has released new charts showing the cities with most and least traffic fatalities per capita, a departure from the USDOT’s more car-centric metric of traffic deaths per vehicle mile travelled. Streetsblog USA Editor Kea Wilson unpacks the data. twitter.com/streetsblogkea/stat…1623753663863717889

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

ciclavia, nithyaraman, sanfernandovalley, tafaraibayne
Love the Lane

February 21, 2023

Transcript: bit.ly/3JWrQKS

Intro: Nick, Seamus, and Taylor introduce San Franciscan Luke Bornheimer, who recently started the slow streets resources website at www.slowstreets.us/. Also, Seamus’ celebrity encounter with Mayor John Bauters.

2:07 on.soundcloud.com/gKuom
Active TO: The longest street in the world, Yonge Street in Toronto, Canada, has a world class complete street portion that was made permanent on February 8. Yonge 4 All spokesperson Robin Richardson tells Bike Talk guest host Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher why they won. www.yonge4all.ca/

17:45 on.soundcloud.com/LgByv
Inactivated: Stanley Park Drive’s great protected lane in Vancouver, Canada will be removed due to demands for two lanes of car traffic in the city’s world class Stanley Park. Lucy Mahoney tells the story.
lovethelane.ca/

30:37 on.soundcloud.com/XhYUd
Representing: Pittsfield, Massachusetts’ pilot protected bike lane came up for a vote on Valentine’s Day. 90 year old Barbara Mahoney used her own example as a user of the calmed street to support the project.

36:31 on.soundcloud.com/2oCbM
No Choice: Walk Bike Berkeley is asking Berkeley, California to prioritize kids over cars by making Hopkins a complete street. Karen Parolek and Ben Gerhardstein fill us in.
actionnetwork.org/petitions/petiti…lking-and-biking

47:20 on.soundcloud.com/k4vmJ
Connected: The intersection of housing and active transportation infrastructure by LA Times journalist Liam Dillon in an interview with cohost Seamus Garrity.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

bike, bikelane, Luke Bornheimer, people, Slow Streets, street